Clam-shell bucket



H. LE GEAR CLAM SHELL BUCKET.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 24, 1919.

1,342,996. V Pat nted unes,1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

n L I fiam e v Le gear I H. LIE GEAR CLAM SHELL BUCKET.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 24. 1919.

Patented June 8, 1924i 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

MW R

laveqorl HARVEY LE GEAR, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

' CLAN-SHELL BUCKET.

eas es.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June e, 1920.

Application filed September 24, 1919. Serial No. 325,878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, l'lnnvnr Ln (ii-inn, a citizen oi the United States, residing at Chicago, Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clam-Shell Buckets; and I do hereby declare the following to beat full, clear, and exact descrip tion of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to so-called clam shell buckets and aims to provide a construction afiording decided advantages over the clam shell buckets now on the market both in simplicity of construction, durability and effectiveness of operation. As one feature, my invention aims to provide a clam shell bucket affording an unusually wide spread and having its closingmechanisni so arranged as to expend practically all of its power in scooping the material into the bucket halves while utilizing the weight of the scooped material for main taining the desired penetration. As another feature, my invention aims to support the bucket jaws so that they will normally swing partly open by gravity, to provide a simple and novel mechanism for entirely and positively opening the bucket, and to provide simple means for limiting the opening spread of the jaws. As a further feature, my invention aims to connect the bucket aws to each other by pivotally connectcd arms so disposed as to bring the pivot ends of the arms up alongside of the head of the appliance, thereby permitting such an effective reduction in the height of the appliance that the same can be used in a much smaller head room than the clam shell buckets heretofore available. Furthermore, my invention aims to provide a clam shell bucket which will hold the jaw bottoms rigidly spaced and substantially vertical when the bucket is wide open, so as to insure an effective penetration of the material even when digging in clay or river gravel. Moreover, my invention aims to provide a construction employing relatively few and simple parts while affording a positive action both. for the opening and the closing of the bucket; to provide simple means for guiding the mechanism clear of the sides of hatchways, to' provide means for stiffening both the bucket jaws and the shafts which carry the sheaves for the closing line; and

.to provide a bucket having its center of gravity so low that it will not tip easily if used on a slope. Still further objects will appear from the followingspecification and from the accompanying drawings in which Figure l is a side elevation of a desirable embodiment of my invention, showing the bucket wide open, and with a part of the headcut away to disclose the arrangement of the closing line. i

Fig. 2 is a plan view oi? the same.

Fig. 3 is a side view of the bucket when closed, drawn on a reduced scale.

Fig. 4 is a similar end view.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary interior view of the left hand end of: the head of the bucket, showing the position of the parts when the bucket is closed.

In the embodiment of the drawings, the appliance of my invention includes a head made of. a pair of steel plates 1 suitably spaced from each other so as to allow for the pivoting of the bucket-tilting links between the same. Each of these links is here shown as pivoted near one end of the head on a bolt 3 and as including at its upper portion an arm 4 extending from the head toward the bucket and integral with an inner arm 5 which affords the connection to the opening or holding line 6. For the purposes of this connection, I desirably pivot a pair of sheaves 7 between the head plates 1 and use these sheaves as guides for flexible elements 8 connecting the ends of the inner arms 5 with the closing line 6.

Rigidly secured to each of the outer lever arms 4: so as to cooperate with the latter in forming one of the aw-tilting links are two straps 28 which diverge downwardly and are pivoted at their lower ends to brackets 9 -fastened to the bucket aws. The two bucket jaws are connected to each otherby pivot arms 10 arranged in pairs and each fast upon one of the bucket jaws, the arms comprisingeach pair being connected by a pivot bolt 11, and the two pairs of arms being spaced from each other transversely of the tilting links from each other by a distance approximating the distance between the pivotal connections of these links to the bucket jaws when the bucket is closed, so that these links will be approximately vertical when ,the bucket is closed, as shown in Fig. 3.

With the parts thus arranged, the center of gravity of each bucket half will be considerably inward of the head from the pivotal support of the tilting link, so that gravity will partly open the bucket as soon as the strain on the closing line is relaxed. This opening tendency is further increased by the weight of'the pivot arms and of the closing mechanism associated with the lat ter, so that the combined weights will promptly swing the bucket partly open when the strain on the closing line is relaxed. Then since the holding line is connected to the jaw-tilting links through flexible elements '8 and lever arms acting in a direction for swinging these links outwardly, I can speedily open the bucket to any desired extentby a corresponding tension on the holding line. For elfective operation, this opening of the bucket is preferably such that the jaw bottoms are substantially vertical as shown in Fig. 1. Consequently, they will readily penetrate material when the bucket is dropped, yet will afford a continuously increasing scooping angle while the bucket halves arebeing moved toward each other,

. thereby affording a thrust through the ma terial which increases in horizontal direction as the bucket jaws approach each other and. carry an increasing portion of the load. Owing to this increasingly effective angle,

. I secure a partial filling of. the jaws at such an early stage during their closing movement that the weight of the material in the jaws helps tohold these down in the material, thereby insuring a complete filling of the bucket even with such a shallow penetration as can readily be obtained when working in tough materials.

lVhile this scooping or filling of the even through clayor other material afiording considerable resistance. 'Furthermore,

since these tackle blocks :are mounted at a considerable distance from the pivot-ends halves, I secure a highly effective leverage while still maintaining the entire operating mechanism above the contents of the bucket. To increase the leverage thusaf- 'forded through the pivoting of the arms 10 to each other, I desirably make these arms of such a length that they will extend approximately to the top of the head of the appliance when the bucket is closed, thereby securing the maximum leverage without any increase in head room. To limit the opening of the bucket to the desired extent, I preferably provide cooperative stop for mation on the pivotarms substantially at their pivotal connections, as by gripping one of these arms with a lug 16 engaging a corresponding stop 17 en the arm to which it is pivoted. As a simple mounting for the sheaves 19, I desirably provide shafts13 connecting the laterally opposed arms 10 desirably connect the sheave housing 20 by rigid braces 21. to the pivot brackets at the outer corners of the jaws, as shown in Fig. 2, thereby stiffening both the shaft 13 and the jaw as a whole.

lVith the appliance thus constructed it willbe obvious that with the same length of links and the same height between the buckets and the head, the long pivot arms will swing the bucket jaws to a much wider spread or opening than couldhe obtained in any construction where the jaws are pivotcd to each other close to their forward edges or through arms which have to clear the lower edge of the head. Consequently, I can c'over'a much larger. surface area of material with a bucket of a given siYe and therefore secure the full contents "of the bucket wit-h less penetration of the material, which is important when working in such materials as clay or-some kinds of gravel.- However, by dropping the bucket' when wide open I can secure a deeper penetration when desired, since the scoop bottoms of the jaws are substantially vertical when the bucket is opened wide and since the pivot arms are so arranged as to hold the bucket halves rigidly in this position when the weight of the appliance is carried by the iolding line. Then when the strain being trz'nisiferred to the clesiin line. this first on'erates through the tackle blocks for closing and fillin'g the bucket, and thseneaiter raiseslthe closed bucket. lVlhen the bucket is to be dumped, the gravity action :as above ex.- plained operates. antoniat-ically and speedily for this purpose.

'Owing to the relatively height required for my appliance in proportion to its" capacity, I can readily operate it in places where head room is limited, as for example in the holds of vessels, and after the bucket has been lowered through the hatchway I can readily open it to a spread much greater than the opening required for clearing it when closed. Furthermore, the sloping webs it? will readily guide the bucket when it is being raised out of the hatchway, so that I can operate with ui'lusual speed and effectiveness inunloading vesse By placing the tackle block arrangement directly above the bucket aws and employing a narrow and light head, lmaintain the center of gravity of the applianc rather low even when the bucket is empty and therefore, thus reducing the risk of tipping the bucket over when working on a slope, and I further lower the center of gravity by arranging the pivotarms (as shown in Fig. 1) so that they are'far below the head when the bucket is open.

However, while I have illustrated and described my invention in a desirable embodiment, I do not wish to be limited to the details of the construction and arrangement as thus disclosed, it being obvious that the same might be modified in many ways without departing from the spirit of the appended. claims.

I claim as my invention:

'1. in a clam-shell bucket, a head, a pair of bucket jaws, links pivotally connecting opposite ends of the head with rear portions of the bucket jaws, two pairs of arms fast respectively upon the bucket jaws at opposite sides of the latter and extending substantially along the axis of the appliance and upward alongside the head when the bucket is closed, the arms fastened to each bucket jaw being respectively pivoted to the arms fastened to the other bucket jaw, the pivotal connections between the links and the head being so spaced that the links will be approximately parallel when the bucket is closed.

2. In a clam-shell bucket, a head, a pair of bucket jaws, links pivotally connecting opposite ends of the head with rear portions of the bucket jaws, two pairs of arms fast respectively upon the bucket jaws at opposite sides of the latter and extending substantially along the axis of the appliance when the bucket is closed, the arms fastened to each bucket jaw being respectively pivoted to the arms fastened to the other bucket jaw, and means carried by the head for simultaneously moving the links to open the bucket.

3. In a clam-shell bucket, a head, a pair of bucket jaws, links pivotally connecting opposite ends of the head with rear portions of the bucket jaws, two pairs of arms fast respectively upon the bucket jaws at opposite sides of the latter and extending substantially along the axis of the ap; when the bucket is closed, the armsfas to each bucket jaw being respectively oted to the arms fastened to the other bucket jaw, lever arms respectively fast upon the links and extending beyond the pivotal connections of the latter with the head, and means operably connectedto said lever arms for moving the links about their last named pivotal connections to open the bucket.

l. A clam-shell bucket constructed per claim 3, in which the said means include flexible elements respectively connected tn the lever arms, and guides over which the flexible elements operatep In a clam-shell bucket, a substantially horizontal head, bucket jaws respectively suspended from the ends of the head, and a pairs of arms fast respectively on the two jaws and pivoted to each other at their free ends, the said arms extending upward substantially along the juncture of the jaws when the bucket is closed and being of such length as to bring their free ends alongside the head whenthe bucket is closed 6. In a clam shell bucket, a head, a pair of jaws, links pivoted to the head and to the jaws, said links having arms extending at approximately right angles and beyond the pivots thereof, sheaves carried by the head and located below the free inner ends of the arms, cables connected to the said free inner ends of the arms and passing beneath the sheaves in engagement therewith and thence upwardly between the sheaves, and means to close the jaws.

7. In a clam shell bucket, a head, a pair of jaws, links pivoted to the head and to the jaws, said links having arms extending at approximately right angles and beyond the pivots thereof, sheaves carried by the head and located below the free inner ends of the arms, cables connected to the said free inner ends of the arms and passing beneath the sheaves in engagement therewith and thence upwardly between the sheaves, and means to close the jaws including a sheave on each jaw, and a cable secured at one end to one jaw and thence engaged with both of the last named sheaves and passing upwardly between the first named sheaves at points alined with the space between the firstnamed sheaves.

8. In a clam shell bucket, a head, a pair of aws, links pivoted to the head and to the jaws and arranged to lie substantially par allel and vertical when the jaws are closed, arms connected to the jaws and to each other, and opening means and closing means for the jaws, said arms being formed and arranged so as to lie substantially parallel to the links and with their inner sides closely adjacent each other when the jaws are closed.

9. In a clam shell bucket, a head, a pair tenet.

)liance of jaws, links pivotedto the head and to the jaws, said. links having rigid arms arranged at an angle thereto and extending to ward the center of the head, means to move said arms downwardly to eii'ect openingof the jaws, arms connected to each other and to the jaws, and closing means associated with the last named arms. l0. s In a clam shell bucket, a head, a pair of jaws, links pivoted to the head and to the jaws and arranged tolie substantially parallel and vertical when the jaws are closed, arms connected to the jaws and to each other, and opening means and closing means for the jaws, said arms being formed andarranged so as to lie substantially parallel to the links when the jaws are closed.

' 11. In a clam shell bucket, a head, a pair of jaws, outer means extending vertically betweenthe jaws and head to support the jaws when the latter are closed, means to open the jaws, inner means connected to each other and to the respective jaws to open the latter, said inner'means when the aws are closed lying approximately parallel to the outer means, and means to close the aws. V

12. In a clam shell bucket, a head,a pair of jaws, opening means connected to the head and jaws, and closing means for the jaws, said closing means having sloping webs-extending beyond the opening means to guide the bucket in raising-the latter out of a hatchway. I V V 13, In a clam shell bucket, a head, a pair of jaws, .openingme'ans connected to the head and jaws, and closing means for the jaws, said closing means having means which project outwardly and are formed' to engage a hatchway to thereby guide the bucket when raising the latter out of a h atchway.

14. In a clamshell bucket, a horizontal elongated head, a pair ofjjaws, links pivoted tothe outer ends of the head and to V the jaws and arranged to lie substantially HARVEY LE GEAR. 

